Star Wars: Umbra's Saga: The Clone Wars
by Drake Shade
Summary: Damon Umbra, a padawan of the Jedi Order, faces the war of his generation. The Separatists have begun the Clone Wars, plunging the Order into the depths of the Conflict. While fighting to preserve the Republic, Damon must also prove himself a Jedi, yet visions and darkness surrounds him, and a fear begins to grow within him as the Dark Side looms. Uses both Canon and Legends lore.


Damon slashed his lightsaber through the air, matching his masters strikes with his own, sizzling and crackling filling the air as they dueled in the starships training room. He found himself consumed in the tempo of the battle, instinct ruling his movements. He pushed his master back, his blade a blur of light as it swung through the air, overwhelming his defence. His master grunted, pedaling backwards, before he snapped out an order to the clone troopers standing by the walls. "Engage."

Damon jumped back, spinning around as he lost himself to the Force, saber flashing around him, deflecting the blaster bolts he failed to dodge as the clones opened fire on him. Plasma splashed over the walls as Damon redirected bolt after bolt back to the clones, knocking them out one by one. He stood in the center of the room, completely in tune with the Force, feeling every movement and attack made by the others. Not a single bolt had touched him as he sent the last one into the chest of the last trooper, before swinging his lightsaber over his head, blocking his master's stroke.

They once again dueled, their blades flashing. Sweat poured off Damon's body, and his hands shook as exhaustion began to set in but his master was no better. Even with his rest, he struggled to defend against Damon's attack, forced to step back again and again. With one last strike, Damon swept his masters blade aside and spun, stopping his blade just beside his master's neck.

They stood there, breathing heavily, before stepping back from each other and turning their lightsabers off. Damon grinned, feeling the glow of victory suffuse him. "That was awesome. I can't believe I did that." He began to pace back and forth in the room, energy still pumping through despite his weary body. "It felt just so...natural. The Force just flowed through me."

His master, Hae-Ton Tenae, gave him a small smile. "Yes. It was quite impressive, Damon. Your training in Djem So and Shien has truly proven effective."

The clones that stood by the walls kept their distance from the Jedi, cleaning off the blaster burns off their armour. Damon walked up to them and bowed slightly to them. "Thank you for your assistance in training. It really made this lesson particularly challenging."

One clone trooper grunted. "We didn't even do anything. None of our blasts even came close to hitting you."

"And if I was any less skilled, most would have," Damon countered. "Almost all your shots would have hit me had I no lightsaber. Compared to the few pirates and criminals we have faced, it was quite refreshing to actually be given a challenge by trained soldiers."

The clones preened under his praise, calling out jokes and jabs at each other as Damon withdrew back to his master. Hae-Ton had a blank look on his face as he stared at Damon, His arms crossed over his chest. "Be careful not to get attached to them, my padawan. They are our soldiers, not our friends."

Damon cocked his head to the side. "And we should instill a sense of trust and confidence in them, no? I mean, we are leading them to war. There will be difficult decisions to be made. Dangerous and bloody orders to be given. Even if they were born to fight, they will hesitate to throw their lives into the fray. We need them to trust in us so they can follow our orders to the greatest effect."

Hae-ton grunted. "They are bred for following orders. They will follow them, no matter the odds or their own opinions. It is not worth risking attachment to them if they will eventually die."

Damon frowned at his masters brusque tone, but turned away without replying. It wouldn't do to have an argument in front of their troops. A call from his masters communicator, however, made him turn back around. Hae-ton had his comm unit held up to his mouth. "Captain? What is it?"

"Master Hae-Ton, we will be arriving at Atraken shortly. I request that you come to the bridge so that we may assess the situation together."

Hae-Ton was silent for several moments. "Agreed. We'll be up right away."

Drake followed his master out of the training room and through the Venators corridors, easily matching his masters tired pace. They strode together, clones and officers stepping out of their way and bowing their heads in respect. Soon enough, they reached the bridge, walking out into the command room.

Captain Zacary stood on the raised platform, surrounded by the activity of the other officers. He glanced back at the two Jedi, nodding respectfully to them. "General. Commander. We'll be arriving at Atraken in the next few minutes."

"Are the Acclamators with our troops lagging behind as planned?" Hae-Ton asked.

Zacary nodded. "Yes. The rest of our fleet keeps pace with us. We don't know how many ships the Confederacy may have, but we should be able to push them out with what we have."

Hae-Ton nodded. "Alright then. Prepare the fleet for battle."

Damon frowned. "Why don't we send a ship in to see what defences they have first, before we arrive?"

"We don't have time for that," Hae-Ton said. "We need to take Atraken now. It is crucial in order to end this war as soon as possible."

"But we also need all the ships we have," Damon argued. "The Republic was not prepared for war, master. The Confederacy is. We don't have the ships to fight them head-on without intelligence."

Hae-Ton gave him a stern look. "That is enough, my padawan. You are young, and do not know of the tactics of war."

Damon saw Zacary give Hae-Ton a piercing glare from behind him, but he said nothing. Damon bowed his head to his master and dropped the argument, murmuring an apology as he did so. They stood in silence for a minute, staring out the bridges viewing glass, as the _Raging Spark_ dropped into real space.

Damon's eyes widened as he saw a fleet of Confederate ships appear before them, probably a dozen of them. And that's the ones they could see. Who knows if any other ships were hiding, either behind one of the planets or out of the system, just waiting to jump in. Droid fighters began to fly out of the enemy ships, streaming towards the Republic fleet as it began to expel its own fighters.

He drowned out the activity that arose in the command room and focused on the battle as it unfolded before him. Lasers streaked through space, slamming into the shields of the ships. Flashes of multicolored light lit up the darkness, a subtle shaking traveling through the decks as lasers impacted against the shields.

"Damon," Hae-Ton said, startling him from his focus. "There is little you can do for now. I suggest you return to your chambers and meditate, seeking calm and peace in the chaos of war."

Opening his mouth to argue, Damon stopped, and shut his mouth. He didn't want to get in an argument he knew he would lose, and so he turned and walked off, a small pang of annoyance filling him, until he shook his head. Perhaps he should meditate. It wasn't good that he was getting frustrated over such a small thing. He strode through the halls, passing by many officers and clone troopers, rushing off to where they needed to be.

Reaching his room, he settled himself in the middle of it, sitting down and closing his eyes. He deepened his breathing, letting the Force flow through him, losing himself within it. He felt the vibrations through the Venator as it fought the Confederacy fleet, sensing each hit before it landed. He could feel the other crew through the layers of metal, feel their emotions and their thoughts.

Damon's mind wandered through the ship, touching each person's mind lightly, until it came to his master's. He made sure that he did not touch his, however. Hae-Ton would sense it, and he didn't want to intrude upon his masters thoughts while he was commanding the fleet. And yet…

A sliver of darkness seemed to be radiating from his master. Damon hesitated, wanting to see what it was, if it was what he feared, but he retreated back into himself. Everyone carried a little darkness within them. His master was a Jedi, an experienced and good man. He trusted him. To take his mind off of it, he pulled his lightsaber from his waist, looking over it.

He considered modifying it, to make it more comfortable and easier to use in dueling. With the galaxy at war, and with the Sith leading the Confederacy, they would need to be prepared to face other duelists. It might even be worthwhile to construct a second saber. But he didn't have the materials to do so here. He'd have to ask his master in order head to Illum to obtain another kyber crystal.

The shaking of the ship began to intensify, jolting Damon from his thoughts. He jumped to his feet, pulling out his communicator and calling Master Hae-Ton. "Master, how is the battle going?"

A burst of static answered before Hae-Ton's voice came through. "My padawan, let us focus on the battle. It is not your concern. Continue to meditate."

Damon put his communicator back into his pocket, before releasing a sigh of frustration. But he sat back down and closed his eyes again, letting himself delve deeply into the Force once more. He kept himself centered on his body, however, refusing to cast his mind out again. And time passed as he sat in his room, ignoring the rumbling of the ship and waiting for a call from his master.

Immersed in the Force, Damon began to feel cold. He shivered, flashes of light filling his mind. He felt a deep rage coursing through the force, darkening it, flinching as hundreds of thousands of sobs and cries filled his ears, a familiar crackling sound cutting through them. Pain coursed through him, his leg aching, grief consuming him. He opened his eyes, trying to pull himself out of the Force, but caught a brief glimpse of a vision. He saw himself, standing over the body of his master, his face covered in shadow.

He blinked his eyes rapidly, staggering to his feet and pressing his back against a wall. Tears streamed down his cheeks, breathing hard and shallowly. He pressed a hand to his chest, gripping his lightsaber in his other hand, slowly coming back to himself. After some time, he calmed down, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor again. What the hell was that?

His communicator beeped, and as he pulled it out, he realized the ship wasn't shaking anymore. "Master?" Damon asked, still feeling uneasy from his experience.

"Damon, come to the bridge. We need to discuss the next phase of our assault."

Damon hesitated, still clenching his lightsaber in his other hand. "Master, I-I saw something in the Force. It-well, it was…" He trailed off, unsure how to voice what he had experienced.

"I'm coming," Hae-Ton said, his voice urgent. "Stay there until I arrive."

"Yes, Master."

Damon put his communicator away and held his lightsaber tightly in his lap, body shivering as he recalled the many voices that had consumed him. After several minutes of waiting, his master entered the room, rushing to Damon's side. "Are you alright?" he asked, eyes looking over his body with worry.

Damon nodded, releasing his death grip on his saber. "Yeah. Somewhat."

Hae-Ton sighed in relief, backing up slightly and sitting opposite Damon. "What did you see?"

Hesitating again, Damon shook his head. "I actually only saw a glimpse of a vision. It...it was more of a storm of sensations and noises. There were so many people crying and calling for help, so much pain streaming through me. My leg, it just started to hurt, as if something was wrong with it. And the vision…" Damon closed his eyes and turned away from his master slightly, hunching his shoulders. "I saw me, standing over your body, Master. I think I-I killed you."

He heard Hae-Ton breath in sharply, keeping his eyes closed as he shivered again, the horrifying image seared into his memory. He clenched his hands around his lightsaber, seeking comfort from it. And then he felt his master's hands enveloping his own, loosening his grip on the lightsaber. Opening his eyes, he saw his master gazing at him with a concerned, but caring, expression. "Damon, it's alright. I believe you may have seen some kind of future, influenced by your own fears perhaps."

Damon stared at his master in shock. "The future? But, how? Why would I kill you? What could possibly make me do that, to betray the Jedi?"

Hae-Ton sighed. "I do not know, Damon. But you must be vigilant against the Dark Side. This is no doubt linked to it, and caused by it. And with the beginning of this war, it will only begin to fester within all of us. I believe we can avoid the vision you've seen, if you keep yourself centered on the Light. Do not let yourself become consumed with fear of what you've seen." He squeezed Damon's hands. "You must be strong. If you begin to feel more fear and the pull of the Dark Side, tell me. Or if I am unavailable, contact Yoda or Mace Windu. Understood?"

Damon nodded, taking solace in his master's presence. After some time of silence, Hae-Ton let go of Damon and stood up. "I would like you to accompany a squadron of Clone Troopers in visiting and soliciting assistance from the inhabitants of Trillo. It should take your mind away from your vision, and will assist in helping us take the planet."

Damon nodded again, standing up as well. "Alright. When do you want me to head out?"

"As soon as your ready. We need to end this battle as soon as possible and close this front."


End file.
